


Last I Saw You

by brigitwritesstuff



Category: I Made America (Web Series)
Genre: M/M, dolley/james/thomas, the virginian trifecta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-16 23:45:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5845552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brigitwritesstuff/pseuds/brigitwritesstuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas is tense during their time in 2012 because of what happened between him and James shortly before they were kidnapped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Last I Saw You

          Thomas had a reason for despair over James' state other than just "inconvenience". It seemed like he couldn't speak unless it was complete nonsense, which was unfortunate. There were things the two really had to talk about regarding the last time they met face to face before the kidnapping.

 

          Madison had come down with a wicked cold sometime in December. Dolley never wasted time when he was ill. Immediately, she had him pent up in a guest room. She often joked about how there was no need for James to be inoculated from any illness because God had already given him everything he could conjure up. She only trusted herself with his welfare. Under no circumstances could someone else enter his room.

          To top it off, she tried to limit the amount of work he did during this time. Focusing too hard would give him headaches, which she couldn't have. He had two choices of entertainment: sleeping and being read to. Almost always he would have her tell him Exodus for the umpteenth time. It was his favorite. He often drifted off to sleep after, dreaming of The Promised Land.

          However, Thomas despised these times. He didn't have a wife anymore, so company was minimal. If he couldn't see James, then who else? Most of these days he spent by drinking and writing. If it ever was both at the same time, he would burn the creations on account of gibberish and crude language.

          He truly hated to be alone. He had (half-drunkenly) conjured up the idea to ride all the way to Montpelier to see him. Soon enough, it blossomed into a plan. He set out at dusk so he could arrive in the night. The trip was only a few hours anyway. It would be worth it.

          On the journey, he considered just how odd what he was doing would appear to anyone else. What man travels such a ways away out of loneliness? Each time he reached the conclusion that there was no rhyme or reason to the trip. It was a calling. Much like how a clergyman would describe his inspiration to pursue the holy.

          The sky was cloudy, and there was no light on his path that night. Virginia, while being a beautiful state, had become spooky. Noises he knew so well felt malicious without the moon out to illuminate them. The worst thought was how he would get back to Monticello. Would he be kicked out before daylight? Or would he, God forbid, be spotted by Dolley? She'd be very unhappy.

          Nonetheless, he arrived at Montpelier at a late hour. Luckily for him, there was a lit candle in the guestroom window. He must have fallen asleep before having the chance to blow it out. Thomas tied up his horse and approached slowly. It would surely startle him to see a man in the dark knocking on his wall.

          He rapped gently on the glass. No stirring came from within, so he made a few more attempts. James turned over in bed, which told him that he noticed the sound. To put the nail in the coffin, he struck four more times. Now his friend dragged himself from his bed to check what was happening.

          The silhouette was unmistakable; it was Thomas. He opened the window just enough to speak through.

          "Thomas?"

          "Yes, it's me."

          "Am I dreaming? How are you here?"

          "The same way I'd come here otherwise. With a horse."

          He considered the situation for a moment before responding. "Were you concerned for me?"

          "Very. And it's terribly lonely at home knowing that I cannot communicate with you."

          James laughed. "Somehow I feel like some of your motivation stems from the fact that you couldn't have visited me, even if you wanted to."

          "How much of a rebel do you take me for?"

          "As much as I. Don't forget that, to Britain, we are traitors."

          "I would be this nation's founder than another's second-class citizen any day."

          The wind blew inside from the crack and nearly snuffed the candle out. He opened the window all the way. "Come inside. It's too cold for you to be out for long."

          "I won't be sick if I enter, will I?"

          "I doubt it. I am feeling better anyway. Please, join me."

          Thomas obliged. James's room was warm and welcoming. _That's Dolley's influence_ , he thought to himself. He noticed his friend walked slowly, implying either achiness or a shortness of breath. This was typical of him. Even when he was well he would carry on a chronic cough. They sat on the edge of his bed and spoke more.

          "I know Dolley wouldn't approve, but I'm glad you came."

          "The trip was eerie. So long from home, in the dark alone."

          "Sleep here until dawn. I wouldn't dare send you back so soon without any rest. I doubt my wife will be around any earlier." He smirked and said with mock-frustration "She will keep me cloistered until not a single sniffle is heard from me."

          "You ought to appreciate that. We are getting old. She will take care of you the worse and worse your condition gets."

          "Indeed, we are getting old." James sighed. "Do you look back and wonder if we ever wasted our time?"

          "Yes. But I've decided to believe each hour was used to its fullest."

          "Remember Ms. Floyd?"

          "God, yes. Perhaps you're right; you did waste an awful lot of time on that relationship."

          "Tell me honestly, why did you encourage me to propose to her?"

          "I... I suppose you didn't want to see you grow old alone. And yet, look at where we are now. You, once thought to be a lifelong bachelor, are happily married. I, however, am a widower.”

          "Yes. I would never have married. There are times I fret over what would have become of me had her husband Payne not passed."

          "He had his marriage to her. They had children and happy days. That life is enough. That life is something you deserve too."

          "It's impossible that she stopped caring about him when she met me. Can you love more than one person at a time?"

          Jefferson reviewed his words over and over in his head. They hit him hard, but he didn't know why. "Yes."

          James smiled, but there was little joy behind it. Not to say that the revelation made him sad. More like he was evaluating what it meant.

          Thomas would have given most anything to know what he was thinking in those moments. His mind worked like a well-oiled machine. Better than anyone else's. The train of thought he drove veered off on tracks as he laid them down in front of the wheels. So, he couldn't have dreamed up what would happen next.

          Quick as a wink, his little friend leaned over and kissed him. Right on the lips. Neither of the men wanted to draw away first, and they remained like that for around 7 seconds. Far too long to be able to ignore it and far too short to be enough. Eventually, James did end up pulling back. The reason being that he could only breath out of his mouth on account of his stuffy nose.

          Thomas always considered him to be an analytical man. Someone who calculates and uses strategy. Yet he didn't look concerned. Not for risking a lynching, laying his marriage on the line, or perhaps losing his best friend. The expression on his face was simple contentment.

          On the other hand, it was obvious that Thomas was scared shitless. He had extended his affections by visiting; he could accept that. But the difference between the many miles between Monticello and Montpelier was nothing compared to the distance between the friends. The greatest leap was on Madison's part. Where would they go from there?

          James stood and shuffled over to a trunk across the room. From it he pulled a pillow and two blankets. He set all of those on the floor. That would be his guest's bed until he had to take his leave. Without words, they got into their separate cots to sleep, though neither truly slept.

 

          After that event, Thomas spent his time in 2012 trying to work out what had happened just a few days/a little over 200 years ago. With the only other participant rendered unable to help, he had no one to express himself to. The situation was dire. Especially when James was gone.


End file.
